NOTES for Неем 8:2-10
As the people listened to the words of the Law, they wept; once they understood it, they went to celebrate with great joy. Here is the paradox of the Bible for everyone who reads it and tries to understand. We read terrible prophecies and see their fulfillment. We learn the signs of the end times and are horrified by what may await us. But the Word does not bring us horror or fear. In any situation the main thing for us is to understand the Word, to understand what God is saying to us today and now. Because every word of His is not about how bad things are for us now, not about how bad things will be for us, not about what sufferings will fall upon us along the way. It is about the fact that what is most important in Him is joy in the Resurrection, in mercy, and in Love. We keep saying to Him: let me bury, let me say farewell, wait just one more minute, and we will catch up. But He says to us: do not look back, do not fear the unknown, do not weep over the past; there is still too much work ahead.